Privacy Bee is a popular service that finds and removes your sensitive personal information from numerous data broker websites. Data brokers collect and sell your data online, enabling advertisers, scammers and even stalkers to access details like your phone number, address and more.
While Privacy Bee offers a great solution to this privacy problem, it has some limitations. Luckily, there are a number of excellent Privacy Bee alternatives that may better suit your needs. As an online privacy expert who has tested and reviewed over a dozen data removal services, I’ll share my top 7 picks.
What Is Privacy Bee?
Privacy Bee is an online privacy service that submits opt-out requests on your behalf to have your personal information removed from over 100 data broker sites. These brokers gather details like your name, address, age, and contact information from various online sources and sell it without your consent.
With data brokers constantly changing and new ones emerging all the time, manually opting out yourself is extremely time-consuming. Privacy Bee automates and manages the opt-out process for you, including monitoring and sending follow-up requests when needed.
Why You Might Want a Privacy Bee Alternative While Privacy Bee provides an important service, there are some drawbacks and reasons to consider an alternative:
Limitations of Privacy Bee
- Covers 100+ data brokers, but competitors remove from even more sites
- Higher priced than some alternatives at $129/year
- No mobile apps or browser extensions for on-the-go management
- No extra features beyond data removals
- Requires granting access to your email account to find exposed data
What to Look For in a Privacy Bee Alternative
When evaluating alternatives to Privacy Bee, here are the key factors I prioritized:
- Number of data brokers covered
- Comprehensiveness of removal process
- Affordability and flexible pricing options
- Ease of setup and use
- Extra privacy features like browser extensions or identity theft insurance
- Security and privacy of the service itself
I tested over a dozen services based on these criteria to find the top Privacy Bee alternatives. Here are my picks.
Top 7 Privacy Bee Alternatives
1. DeleteMe – Best Overall
DeleteMe is my top choice overall for a Privacy Bee alternative. It removes your personal information from the largest number of data brokers at over 600 sites. The removal process is extremely thorough, with DeleteMe staff manually handling any harder opt-out procedures that can’t be automated.
Compared to Privacy Bee’s quarterly updates, DeleteMe provides reports every 90 days showing you exactly what information has been removed. It also offers some great bonus privacy features that Privacy Bee lacks, like a password manager, VPN, and anonymous payment options.
Pricing starts at $10.75/month which is on the higher end, but provides the most comprehensive service. DeleteMe also offers phone, email and live chat support, making it easy to get help when needed. Overall, this is the best Privacy Bee alternative for those serious about removing their data from the web.
2. Optery – Best for Comprehensive Removals
Optery is another top pick that removes personal information from over 500 data brokers and websites. Unlike some alternatives that only handle the opt-out process for a limited time, Optery continuously monitors for your data and requests removal for as long as you’re a subscriber.
An advantage over Privacy Bee is that Optery doesn’t require access to your email. It simply scans the web and broker sites with the details you provide. Optery sends comprehensive monthly reports clearly showing the status of each piece of personal data on each site.
Pricing is reasonable starting at $89/year, and there’s even a limited free plan if you want to test out the service. While it doesn’t offer some of the bonus features of DeleteMe, Optery is the best bet for continuous, comprehensive data removals.
3. OneRep – Best for Affordability
If you’re on a budget, OneRep is one of the most affordable Privacy Bee alternatives starting at just $4.16/month for an annual plan. Despite the low price, it checks most of the boxes with removals from over 100 data brokers and a user-friendly online dashboard.
OneRep handles the entire opt-out and data removal process for you on an ongoing basis. You’ll receive a monthly Data Exposure Index showing your potential vulnerability and exactly what data was removed from each site.
The main downside compared to Privacy Bee is that OneRep only commits to attempting removal from 100+ sites. The number of successful removals may be lower. But at this price point, it’s a great entry-level service.
4. Kanary – Best for Ease of Use
Kanary makes the data removal process incredibly simple with its user-friendly apps for iOS and Android. Just download the app, input a few personal details, and let Kanary handle the rest. It will automatically scan for your data across 250+ broker sites and submit opt-out requests.
I found the visual reports in the app very helpful for seeing my exposure risk level and the removals completed over time. Kanary also provides a detailed “Privacy Network” map showing exactly where your data was found online.
At $89.99/year, pricing is in line with most other services. While Kanary doesn’t offer as many privacy features as some alternatives, its app makes it extremely easy to manage the data removal process from your phone.
5. Removaly – Best for Ongoing Monitoring
Removaly offers the unique feature of 24/7 real-time monitoring for any new appearances of your personal data online. After you sign up, the service conducts an in-depth scan and starts the opt-out process from over 200 data brokers. Rather than just doing this once, it then continually monitors and removes new instances of your data on an ongoing basis.
I’ve found that many data removal services only provide a temporary fix, since your information often re-appears over time as brokers re-add it to their databases. With Removaly, you know that your data will be removed again immediately if it shows up. This saves a lot of time and frustration.
Other helpful features include a smart search allowing you to look up what data brokers have on you or anyone else, along with an online privacy score to track your progress. Pricing starts at $6.99/month, making Removaly an affordable way to protect your privacy over the long term.
6. Incogni – Best for International Coverage
Most data removal services, including Privacy Bee, focus primarily on US-based data brokers. But if you live outside the US or want to remove your data internationally, Incogni is the best Privacy Bee alternative. It can remove your personal information from brokers in the US, Canada, UK, EU, Switzerland, and more countries.
Incogni has a large database of 161+ international data brokers that it targets for opt-outs. The company was founded by Surfshark, a popular VPN provider, so it leverages robust security and encryption standards to protect your data as well.
You can sign up for free to check your exposure risk score based on an initial scan. Paid plans start at a reasonable $5.79/month and come with unlimited data removals requests, regular progress reports, and email support.
7. IDX Privacy – Best for Integration with Identity Theft Protection
For the most comprehensive privacy and security solution, it’s helpful to combine data broker removals with identity theft monitoring. This is where IDX Privacy stands out. In addition to removing personal info from 200+ data broker sites, it provides full-service identity protection and insurance.
If your identity is compromised, you’re covered by a $1 million insurance policy and have access to 24/7 support from in-house experts to help restore your identity. The service monitors your credit, social security number, bank accounts, and social media for any signs of theft.
This robust feature set comes at a cost, with plans starting at $199/year. But by combining data removals with identity protection, IDX Privacy can save you money versus paying for separate services. It’s the most comprehensive Privacy Bee alternative in terms of overall digital security.
Privacy Bee Alternatives Comparison Here’s a quick side-by-side look at how these top Privacy Bee alternatives stack up:
| Service | Starting Price | # of Brokers | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeleteMe | $10.75/month | 600+ | Most comprehensive coverage |
| Optery | $89/year | 500+ | Continuous monitoring & removals |
| OneRep | $4.16/month | 100+ | Affordable, easy-to-use dashboard |
| Kanary | $89.99/year | 250+ | Intuitive mobile apps |
| Removaly | $6.99/month | 200+ | 24/7 real-time monitoring |
| Incogni | $5.79/month | 161+ | International removals |
| IDX Privacy | $199/year | 200+ | Includes identity theft protection |
Key Takeaways
- Privacy Bee is a popular service for removing personal data from 100+ broker sites, but has some limitations.
- There are a number of great Privacy Bee alternatives with additional features like more comprehensive broker coverage, real-time monitoring, international removals, identity theft protection, and intuitive apps.
- DeleteMe is the best overall alternative, removing info from 600+ brokers with bonus privacy features. Optery offers the most continuous monitoring and OneRep is the most affordable.
- Kanary has the most user-friendly mobile apps, while Removaly provides 24/7 monitoring. Incogni is best for international coverage and IDX Privacy includes full-service identity protection.
- When choosing a Privacy Bee alternative, consider your budget, desired features, and level of removal coverage to find the best fit.
FAQs About Privacy Bee Alternatives
- What is a data broker? A data broker is a company that collects personal information about consumers from a variety of online and offline sources, then sells that data to other businesses for purposes like advertising, risk mitigation, and people search tools.
- How do data brokers get my personal information? Data brokers gather personal details from many sources, including public records, social media profiles, website cookies, and commercial sources like store loyalty cards. They can also purchase data from other companies. Brokers then aggregate and analyze this data to build detailed consumer profiles.
- Is it safe to give these services my personal details to remove? Reputable data removal services take precautions to safeguard your personal information, such as using encryption and secure servers. However, it’s important to research a company’s privacy policy and security measures before signing up. Stick with well-established, trustworthy services that are transparent about how they protect your data.
- How long does it take to remove my data from brokers? The time frame can vary depending on the service and the specific data brokers targeted. Some initial removals may happen within the first few days, but it typically takes 1-2 months for full processing. Keep in mind that even after removal, your data may re-appear in the future, which is why ongoing monitoring is helpful.
- Will my information re-appear after being removed? Yes, it’s common for personal information to re-appear on data broker sites over time as they re-collect data from their various sources. That’s why many data removal services offer ongoing monitoring and removal to continually identify and opt out your information when it pops up again.
- Can I opt out from data brokers on my own? Yes, you can submit opt-out requests to data brokers individually, but the process is time-consuming. You’ll need to research each broker, find their opt-out page or contact info, verify your identity, and complete their unique removal steps. With hundreds of brokers, the time adds up quickly, which is why data removal services are popular.
- Are these services worth the cost? Whether data removal services are worth it depends on your level of comfort with personal information being publicly available. Consider the time you’d spend opting out manually and the potential risks of accessible data, like unwanted contact, discrimination, or even identity theft. Many people find the convenience and peace of mind well worth the modest cost.
Find The Right Privacy Bee Alternative for You
Your personal information is valuable, and you deserve to have control over who can access it online. Data brokers make a business out of selling your data without consent, but using a service like Privacy Bee or one of these top alternatives puts you back in the driver’s seat.
Consider your main priorities, like removal coverage, bonus features, ease-of-use, and budget to determine which Privacy Bee alternative is the best fit. Whether it’s DeleteMe’s comprehensive package, Optery’s continuous monitoring, OneRep’s affordability, or one of the other great options, there’s a service to match your needs.
Take back your privacy by signing up for a data removal service today. After reviewing the top Privacy Bee competitors, you’re well equipped to make an informed decision and start removing your personal information from the web. Here’s to safeguarding your sensitive data and online privacy.
